-4  It, 


Twenty-five  Years 
of  Religious  Life 
in  Bloomington 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


111.  Hist.   Survey 


: 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


REV.  JAMES  H.  GILLILAND 


TWENTY-  FIVE  YEARS 

OF 

RELIGIOUS  LIFE  IN  BLOOMINGTON 

AN  ADDRESS  BY 

REV.  JAMES  H.  GILLILAND 


"IF  THOU  SEEK  HIS  MONUMENT 
LOOK  ABOUT  THEE" 


BLOOMINGTON,     ILLINOIS 
APRIL    TWENTY-FIRST 

1912 


DEDICATION 

TO  THE  CONGREGATIONS  OF  THE  FIRST, 
SECOND  AND  CENTENNIAL  CHRISTIAN 
CHURCHES  OF  BLOOMINGTON,  AND  THE 
FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH,  OF  NORMAL, 
ALL  OF  WHICH  WERE  BLEST  IN  HAVING 

J.  H.  GILLILAND 

AS  PASTOR  AND  PREACHER,  THIS  LITTLE 
VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED. 


T 


FOREWORD 


VHE  following  address  was  prepared  by  J.  H.  Gilliland 
for  the  Seventy- Fifth  Anniversary  services  of  the  First 
Christian  Church.  It  was  to  have  been  delivered  on  Sun- 
day evening,  April  21st.  On  Saturday,  April  20th,  while 
giving  a  final  revision  to  the  manuscript,  Mr.  Gilliland 
sustained  a  stroke  of  paralysis  that  rendered  him  speechless 
and  helpless.  Sunday  evening  a  vast  and  grief-stricken 
audience  gathered  at  the  First  Church,  the  congregations 
of  the  First,  Second,  Centennial  and  Normal  Christian 

CH      Churches  uniting  in  a  never-to-be-forgotten  service.     Mr. 

r\  Gilliland's  paper  was  impressively  read  by  Milo  Atkinson, 
pastor  of  the  Centennial  Church. 

The  solemn  circumstances  that  made  it  necessary  that 
another  should  read  Mr.  Gilliland's  paper,  together. with  the 
intrinsic  worth  of  the  address,  made  the  occasion  impressive 
beyond  description. 

Mr.  Gilliland  lingered  till  Friday,  April  26th,  when  a 
second  stroke  finished  an  earthly  ministry  unparalleled  in 
this  community  for  substantial  accomplishments  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

From  the  first,  it  was  felt  that  this  address  should  be 
preserved  in  permanent  form.     After  Mr.  Gilliland's  death 
it  seemed  wise  and  proper  that  the  account  of  the  funeral 
J*     with  the  addresses  should  be  included  in  this  volume. 

It  is  confidently  believed  that  the  wide  circulation  and 
reading  of  this  mighty  message  will  but  confirm  among 
many  the  opinion  long  held  by  those  who  knew  ].  H.  Gilli- 
land intimately,  namely,— that  he  was  a  great  preacher,  a 
far-seeing  prophet,  a  veritable  statesman,  in  the  affairs  of 
the  kingdom  of  God. 

EDGAR  DeWITT  JONES. 
May  7th,  1912. 


964909 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
LIFE  IN  BLOOMINGTON 

I  count  it  a  privilege  to  share  in  the  celebration  of  the 
75th  anniversary  of  the  First  Christian  Church  in  Bloom- 
ington; especially  so,  since  I  have  been  connected  person- 
ally more  or  less  closely  with  it  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a 
century. 

Twenty-five  years  seem  a  long  time  if  taken  from  the  life 
of  a  single  human  being,  but  in  the  great  sum  of  human 
life  it  is  only  a  line.  The  last  quarter  of  a  century  has 
witnessed  some  of  the  most  wonderful  achievements  and 
changes  of  any  like  period  in  the  world's  history.  However, 
I  am  not  privileged  to  speak  of  these ;  I  have  been  asked  to 
review  twenty-five  years  of  religious  life  in  Bloomington. 

Religious  life  manifests  itself  in  at  least  three  distinct 
ways.  There  is  the  material,  the  intellectual,  and  the  spir- 
itual manifestation. 

Bloomington,  as  a  city,  has  made  substantial  progress 
during  these  years.  The  street  pavements,  the  street  car 
system,  including  interurban  lines,  water  works,  fire  de- 
partment, court  house,  coliseum,  opera  house  and  other 
play  houses,  high  school  and  ward  buildings,  extensive 
business  blocks,  hospitals,  sanitariums,  Bloomington  Club, 
Masonic  Temple,  Y.M.C.A.,  and  scores  of  our  most  beauti- 
ful and  costly  homes,  have  been  the  product  of  these  years. 
We  are  living  in  a  new  Bloomington  as  compared  with 
twenty-five  years  ago. 

The  church  has  kept  pace  with  this  splendid  commercial 
and  material  improvement.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  treat 
in  detail  the  individual  congregational  histories  of  the  city ; 
I  therefore,  by  way  of  illustrating  the  general  material  and 
numerical  growth  of  the  Bloomington  churches,  give  a  brief 
account  of  the  congregations  represented  in  the  Ministerial 
Association  when  I  came  to  Bloomington. 


First  Methodist  Church,  Grace  Methodist  Church,  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  First 
Baptist  Church,  Congregational  Church,  and  First  Chris- 
tian Church. 

In  1888  there  was  inaugurated  in  Bloomington  a  new 
era  of  church  building,  which  characterized  the  country 
generally,  and  which  has  been,  in  the  adaptation  of  church 
buildings,  to  the  various  phases  of  church  work,  a  most 
marked  evidence  of  church  progress  during  twenty-five 
years. 

At  that  time  there  were  no  new  churches,  and  but  few, 
modern  or  up  to  date  in  construction,  in  the  city.  Dr. 
Jackson,  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  led  in  the  movement. 
The  location  of  the  church  at  that  time  is  now  occupied  by 
the  excellent  Pantagraph  Printing  and  Stationery  Company. 
The  new  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Jefferson 
and  Gridley  streets  in  1888,  at  a  cost  of  about  $40,000; 
improvements  were  subsequently  made  which  cost  approxi- 
mately $8000,  making  this  church  one  of  the  most  thor- 
oughly equipped  in  the  city. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  the  church  had  a  membership  of 
550,  it  now  has  850.  The  pastors  have  been  Dr.  J.  L.  Jack- 
son, W.  B.  Riley,  C.  S.  Winbigler,  Dr.  Stanley  McKay, 
Loran  D.  Osborn,  U.  S.  Davis,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Jackson. 

Closely  following  this  was  the  Grace  Methodist  Church 
under  the  leadership  of  Horace  Reed.  The  old  building 
was  sold  to  the  Adventists,  and  a  new  building  erected  on 
the  corner  of  Locust  and  East  streets ;  this  church  was  also 
dedicated  in  1888,  at  a  cost  of  $35,000.  It  then  had  a 
membership  of  239,  which  has  increased  to  850  at  this  time. 
The  pastors  have  been  Horace  Reed,  W.  A.  Smith,  James 
Miller,  H.  C.  Gibbs,  T.  J.  Wheat,  B.  F.  Ship,  Theodore 
Kemp,  and  M.  N.  English. 

Passing  the  Christian  Church  for  fuller  notice  later,  I 
record  that  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  was  dedicated 
February  6,  1896,  under  the  pastorate  of  E.  K.  Strong,  at 


a  cost  of  $30,000.  The  membership  then  was  214;  it  is 
now  618.  The  following  pastors  have  served  the  church: 
Edward  K.  Strong,  DeWitt  L.  Pelton,  N.  H.  G.  Fife, 
R.  Calvin  Dobson,  W.  A.  Bodell. 

At  the  time  of  my  coming  Dr.  Dinsmore  had  been  nearly 
twenty  years  with  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church;  soon 
thereafter  he  departed  to  make  his  home  in  California. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Kane,  during  whose  pastorate  the 
present  splendid  church  was  erected,  being  dedicated  on 
December  13,  1896;  the  property  is  now  valued  at  about 
$100,000. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  the  membership  was  582,  at  pres- 
ent it  is  775.  The  pastors  have  been,  John  W.  Dinsmore, 
W.  P.  Kane,  H.  K.  Denlinger,  F.  W.  Hawley,  and  J.  N. 
Elliott. 

The  only  congregation  in  this  list  which  has  not  built 
during  this  period  is  the  First  Methodist.  They  had  a 
splendid  building  at  that  time,  remodeled  and  re-dedicated 
November  14,  1897,  soon  to  be  replaced  by  a  fine,  modern 
house.  At  that  time  there  were  818  members  in  this  church, 
now  there  are  1600.  The  pastors  have  been,  John  L.  Pit- 
ner,  Frank  Crane,  Frost  Craft,  G.  E.  Scrimger,  G.  A.  Scott, 
C.  P.  Masden,  J.  W.  Summerville,  and  Geo.  E.  Pickard. 

The  Congregationalists  have  not  been  numerous  and 
have  had  a  struggle  with  debt  and  other  difficulties.  A  new 
hope,  however,  came  to  this  people  in  the  burning  of  the 
old  mortgage  and  the  erection  of  a  new  church  under  the 
leadership  of  C.  K.  Stockwell,  dedicated  April  17,  1909. 
The  pastors  of  this  church  have  been  J.  J.  Tobias,  A.  B. 
White,  H.  W.  Holding,  L.  W.  Morgan,  Geo.  H.  Gate, 
H.  B.  Long,  N.  T.  Edwards,  T.  A.  Humphreys,  Frederick 
Bowen,  A.  M.  Conard,  C.  K.  Stockwell,  and  H.  A.  Bush- 
nell.  It  now  has  a  membership  of  150. 

Other  churches  here  at  the  time  of  my  coming  have 
made  similar  progress.  There  have  been  built  several  mis- 


8 

sion  chapels,  also  the  Park  Methodist  Church,  Saint  Pat- 
rick's Church,  the  Church  of  Peace,  Christian  Science, 
United  Brethren,  Mennonite,  and  Third  Christian,  churches, 
and  perhaps  others  which  I  do  not  now  recall;  also  the 
Y.M.C.A.,  with  its  splendid  equipment,  $100,000  building, 
and  large  membership;  the  Illinois  Wesleyan,  with  new 
buildings,  increasing  student  body,  and  growing  activity. 

These  all  speak  of  the  material  enlargement  of  the  re- 
ligious life  and  influence  in  the  community.  These  build- 
ings stand  not  simply  for  so  much  wood  or  stone  or  brick; 
mere  material  value;  they  speak  of  a  community's  faith  in 
a  crucified,  risen  and  triumphant  Lord.  They  speak  of 
truth,  love,  sacrifice,  service.  They  stand  for  the  principles 
involved  in  the  making  of  character.  They  stand  for  the 
fatherhood  of  God,  for  the  Sonship  and  Saviorhood  of 
Jesus  Christ;  they  declare  the  sinfulness  of  sin  and  the 
efficacy  of  the  atonement,  the  sacrifice  of  love.  They  plead 
for  the  conversion  of  the  sinner,  for  the  perfection  of  the 
saint,  for  the  uplifting  and  betterment  of  universal  human 
conditions,  for  the  making  real  the  Kingdom  of  God  on 
Earth. 

The  influence  of  a  church  in  a  community,  with  its 
stream  of  humanity  pouring  in  and  out,  is  beautifully  il- 
lustrated by  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Voltaire. 

"Just  as  the  traveler  comes  out  of  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  cantons  of  Switzerland,  on  the  sunny  borderland 
of  France,  his  attention  is  called  to  a  little  stone  church  on 
the  edge  of  the  Swiss  village.  If  you  alight  from  the  dili- 
gence and  brush  the  dust  from  the  marble  slab  above  the 
door,  you  can  read  there,  engraven  in  deep  letters,  'Built 
by  Voltaire.'  " 

He  was  not  a  believer  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  decided  to  go  out  of  Paris  one  summer  and  spend  some 
weeks  in  a  village  in  Switzerland  writing  books  against  the 
divinity  of  Christ.  He  arrived  at  this  little  town  on  the 


mountain  pass  and  took  a  room  at  the  little  Swiss  hospice. 
It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  as  he  looked  out  of  his  win- 
dow in  the  direction  of  the  ringing  of  a  church  bell,  he  saw 
the  people  going  to  prayers.  It  seemed  that  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  village  was  going  to  the  village 
church.  For  a  while  he  listened  to  the  music  and  the 
prayers,  and  at  last  the  throng  came  out  and  the  people 
quietly  went  to  their  homes. 

Voltaire  was  interested  and  began  to  study  the  lives  of 
these  people.  He  soon  found  that  they  lived  the  life  of 
Christ  in  that  community,  and  the  more  he  studied  their 
simple,  honest  lives  the  more  he  became  convinced  that  he 
could  not  write  books  against  Christ;  so  he  spent  the  rest 
of  the  summer  among  those  people.  To  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  the  happiest  time  of  his  life,  he  asked  that  he 
might  build  the  villagers  a  stone  church  in  the  place  of  the 
frame  meeting  house.  When  it  was  completed  the  people 
put  the  marble  slab  above  the  door  and  had  engraved  upon 
it,  "Built  by  Voltaire." 

This  occasion  not  only  justifies,  but  demands  a  fuller 
record  of  the  history  and  enlargement  of  the  Christian 
Church,  the  anniversary  of  which  we  are  celebrating. 

The  First  Christian  Church  was  founded  by  Wm.  T. 
Major,  who  came  to  Bloomington  in  1835.  The  organiza- 
tion of  the  church  was  effected  in  1837,  in  the  parlor  of  his 
home,  located  on  the  south-west  corner  of  Front  and  East 
streets.  There  were  thirteen  charter  members, — Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wm.  T.  Major,  and  two  daughters — Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Hawks  and  Mrs.  Judith  A.  Bradner,  recently  deceased,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Martin  Scott,  "Father"  Maxwell  and  two  daugh- 
ters, and  four  others,  whose  names  do  not  appear. 

The  little  company  met  each  Sunday,  for  worship,  in 
the  home  of  Mr.  Major.  About  1840  a  little  frame  church 
was  erected  on  East  street,  between  Front  and  Grove,  near 
the  present  location  of  Humphrey's  wholesale. house. 


10 

Mr.  Major  was  the  leading  spirit  and  the  most  liberal 
giver  in  those  early  days ;  he  also  gave  liberally  to  Eureka, 
Indianapolis  and  Bethany  Colleges.  He  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  community  as  an  intelligent,  generous  and 
progressive  citizen.  Later,  in  1856,  he  erected  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  city,  Major  College,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$20,000.  For  some  years  this  was  a  very  flourishing  insti- 
tution for  the  education  of  young  women.  In  those  days 
the  church  was  ministered  to  by  such  men  as  Alfred  Lind- 
say>  Uncle  Jimmie  Robeson,  Wm.  Davenport,  Walter 
Bowles,  and  Billy  Brown. 

Sometime  later,  the  old  church  was  abandoned  and  sold 
to  the  Lutherans,  who  moved  it  to  the  corner  of  South 
Madison  and  Olive  streets,  where  it  did  duty  till  the  erec- 
tion of  their  new  church,  when  it  was  moved  to  the  corner 
of  West  Jefferson  and  Allin  streets,  and  occupied  for  some 
time  as  a  school  house  by  the  German  Lutherans. 

In  1856,  the  present  site,  corner  West  Jefferson  and 
North  West,  now  Roosevelt  streets,  was  purchased  for 
$1500  in  gold,  and  a  brick  building  erected  thereon  at  a 
cost  of  $8000. 

Some  of  the  leading  members  and  contributors  of  that 
day  were  E.  H.  Didlake,  Thomas  P.  Brown,  Edwin  Pos- 
ton,  Dr.  E.  K.  Crothers,  F.  M.  Emerson,  Robert  Moore, 
E.  W.  Bakewell,  and  R.  E.  Williams,  all  of  whom  are 
dead.  The  house  was  dedicated  the  first  day  of  January, 
1857,  by  Prof.  Charles  Louis  Loos  of  Ohio. 

From  this  date,  till  my  coming,  the  following  men  of- 
ficiated as  pastors :  LeRoy  S.  Skelton,  Thomas  V.  Berry, 
D.  R.  VanBuskirk,  twice,  Henry  Earl,  J.  H.  McCullough, 
A.  I.  Hobbs,  H.  D.  Clark,  and  B.  J.  Radford  filling  in- 
terregnums. 

I  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in  Blooming- 
ton  February  5,  1888.  I  entered  upon  the  work  with  fear 
and  trembling.  My  first  sermons  were  on  "Why  the 


11 

Church  Exists?"  and  "Sowing  and  Reaping."  The  con- 
gregation numbered  about  400  at  that  time.  The  first  year's 
labors  were  graciously  blessed,  and  closed  with  a  special 
meeting,  adding  117  to  the  membership.  Miss  Ethel  Clarke 
was  the  first  one  to  make  the  Good  Confession,  and  the 
second  person  was  J.  O.  Willson,  whose  recent  death 
brought  grief  to  all  our  citizens;  he  was  baptized  on  the 
evening  of  January  3rd,  1889. 

Early  in  my  ministry  it  was  decided  to  build  a  new 
church,  and  on  March  24,  1889,  a  call  for  money  was 
made,  $10,000  was  soon  raised.  April  21  plans  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  congregation  and  a  building  committee  ap- 
pointed, consisting  of  the  following  persons :  Henry  Keiser, 
Peter  Whitmer,  John  T.  Lillard,  M.  Swan,  H.  J.  Higgins, 
and  J.  H.  Gilliland.  On  April  28,  by  a  standing  vote,  the 
congregation  authorized  the  Building  Committee  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  erection  of  a  new  church. 

The  last  meeting  was  held  in  the  old  house  on  a  delight- 
ful day  in  June  (the  2nd)  ;  the  theme  of  the  sermon  that 
morning  was:  "The  Vision  of  Holy  Waters."  In  the 
evening  there  was  a  children's  exercise.  The  house  was 
crowded  at  both  services.  The  atmosphere  of  the  morning 
was  charged  with  peculiar  quiet;  there  was  a  mingling  of 
sadness  at  leaving  the  old  house,  and  of  joy  in  the  antici- 
pation of  the  new.  Among  the  visitors  of  that  day,  appear 
clearly  before  me  tonight,  the  faces  of  Judge  Reeves  and 
his  wife,  always  our  friends. 

Thereafter  for  eight  months,  we  worshiped  in  the  old 
Baptist  Church,  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Madison  streets. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid 
October  7,  1889,  and  the  church  was  dedicated  the  7th  day 
of  September,  1890,  under  the  leadership  of  A.  I.  Hobbs. 
The  building,  exclusive  of  the  lot  and  organ,  cost  about 
$27,000. 


12 

The  first  year  after  entering  the  new  church  we  held 
a  meeting  with  115  additions;  other  meetings  were  held 
from  time  to  time,  mostly  by  the  pastor ;  our  greatest  meet- 
ing, held  by  the  church  forces  without  any  outside  aid,  was 
in  1894,  resulting  in  360  additions;  this  meeting  stirred 
the  entire  community,  and  greatly  extended  the  influence  of 
the  church.  During  the  year  there  were  120  other  addi- 
tions, making  the  total  number  of  additions  for  1894,  480. 

Long  to  be  remembered,  by  me,  at  least,  will  be  those 
seasons  of  refreshing  in  revival,  the  celebration  of  the  tenth 
anniversary,  and  the  many  splendid  personal  fellowships 
enjoyed  during  those  years.  Indicative  of  the  spirit  in 
which  the  pastorate  closed,  you  will  pardon  a  quotation 
from  my  farewell  sermon,  delivered  on  July  27,  1902 : 

"We  have  had  a  pleasant,  harmonious,  and  profitable 
pastorate.  We  are  bound  together  by  many  ties.  We  have 
come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways.  It  is  not  strange  that 
there  should  be  regrets,  and  sorrow  at  this  hour.  I  have 
been  with  you  a  long  time,  I  have  baptized  your  children,  I 
have  married  them  and  buried  your  loved  ones.  Your  in- 
terests have  always  been  mine;  your  sorrows  have  been 
mine.  I  have  tried  to  be  your  faithful  preacher,  your  true 
and  sympathetic  friend.  There  have  been  2029  additions 
in  the  fourteen  and  one-half  years;  853  have  gone  out 
from  us;  there  remains  a  total  nominal  membership  today 
of  1550. 

"At  least  1300  of  these  have  united  with  the  church 
during  this  pastorate.  It  is  with  a  strange  feeling  that  I 
resign  this  place  and  step  out  of  this  pulpit,  henceforth  to 
have  no  more  rights  here,  or  privileges,  than  any  other 
preacher  of  good  standing  among  us.  Before  I  do  so,  I 
wish  to  express  my  sincere  gratitude  and  thanks  to  the 
official  board,  the  members  of  which  have  stood  by  the 
work  faithfully,  and  supported  me  in  nearly  all  my  plans. 
My  wife  and  I  are  grateful  for  the  uniform  courtesy,  kind- 


FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

OF  ILLINOIS 


13 

ness  and  appreciation  shown  us  by  all  the  societies  and 
members  of  the  church.  I  must  express  my  sense  of  abid- 
ing profit  from  daily  fellowship  with  the  dear  old  man, 
who  has  ever  been  an  inspiration  and  encouragement  to 
me,  an  unflinching  servant  of  God  and  the  church,  whose 
zeal  and  love  of  the  church  nothing  can  destroy,  may  he 
live  long  to  honor  the  Master's  name."  I  referred  to 
Brother  Bergman.  He  has  since  gone  to  his  everlasting 
home. 

Since  leaving  your  pulpit,  I  have  enjoyed  the  honor  and 
the  privilege  of  sharing  in  many  of  your  special  services, 
as  on  the  present  occasion.  Here,  did  I  on  your  behalf, 
welcome  that  rare  man,  Arthur  Wilson,  and  his  wife;  that 
man  who  won  his  way  into  all  hearts  so  surely  and  quickly, 
that  in  six  short  months  he  was  the  friend  of  all;  whose 
work  was  so  promising ;  whose  death  was,  to  us,  a  calam- 
ity ;  and  whose  memory  is  among  our  choicest  treasures. 

I  was  your  representative  in  the  reception  of  W.  R. 
Lloyd  and  family.  He  was  a  good  man,  always  on  the 
right  side  of  moral  questions,  zealous  for  the  good  name  of 
the  church;  aggressive  and  out-spoken  in  favor  of  all 
things  he  deemed  right,  and  against  everything  he  thought 
to  be  wrong.  It  was  during  his  pastorate  the  church  be- 
came a  living-link  in  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

Again,  it  was  my  pleasure  to  share  with  you  in  the  wel- 
come to  Edgar  D.  Jones  and  wife.  Brother  Jones  is  a  re- 
fined, Christian  gentleman;  rarely  gifted,  and  deservedly 
popular  both  in  the  church  and  out.  May  your  splendid 
fellowship  together  continue  many  years.  I  dare  not  at- 
tempt to  call  the  roll  of  honor  in  this  church,  or  estimate 
the  forces  which  have  made  for  righteousness  in  these  years. 
With  a  nominal  membership  of  1500,  with  the  present 
capable  and  beloved  pastor,  and  your  vision  of  larger 
things,  I  know  you  will  go  on  to  greater  achievements. 
May  God  bless  you  all,  and  grant  to  you  many  happy  re- 
turns of  your  anniversary  day. 


14 

For  some  months  before  the  close  of  my  work  here,  I 
had  been  advocating  the  organization  of  a  new  church.  In 
November,  1900,  the  members  of  the  First  Church  as- 
sembled in  this  room  and  granted  the  privilege  of  a  new 
organization  on  the  condition  that  $10,000  should  be 
pledged,  and  a  sufficient  number  of  persons  interested  to 
make  the  movement  a  success. 

On  December  30,  1900,  100  persons  entered  into  cove- 
nant to  become  charter  members  of  the  new  church. 

On  January  20,  1901,  the  new  church  constituency  as- 
sembled in  this  place  and  raised  $8700,  which  amount  was 
soon  increased  to  $10,000.  This  was  the  first  season  of 
rejoicing  in  what  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  church  movements  in  Bloomington.  The  church 
was  incorporated  April  22,  1901.  On  July  18,  1901,  the 
following  building  committee  was  elected :  J.  H.  Gilliland, 
chairman;  Campbell  Holton,  treasurer-secretary;  Gertrude 
B.  Welty,  W.  R.  White,  Abel  Brooks,  R.  R.  McGregor, 
Frank  Boulware,  and  Gus  Lundquist. 

On  January  16,  1902,  a  contract  was  let  to  J.  F.  Rees 
for  $16,600.  April  20,  1902,  the  corner-stone  was  laid, 
and  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  charter  members,  numbering 
about  275,  was  placed  in  the  stone. 

The  church  was  dedicated  by  J.  H  Gilliland  on  No- 
vember 23,  1902.  The  entire  indebtedness  of  the  church 
had  been  previously  provided  for,  a  rare  thing  in  church 
building.  On  dedication  day  $3500  was  raised  for  current 
expenses.  This  was  one  of  the  most  happy  and  triumphant 
experiences  in  the  history  of  our  work  in  Bloomington. 
The  Firsh  Church,  and  Arthur  Wilson,  their  new  pastor, 
participated  heartily  in  all  the  services  of  the  day.  The 
baptistry  was  dedicated  at  the  evening  meeting  by  the  bap- 
tism of  five  young  ladies — Marjorie  McGregor,  Grace 
Woodard,  Arlie  Pierce,  Hazel  Smith  and  Monte  VanGundy. 


15 

Special  meetings  were  held  as  follows:  January,  1903, 
by  J.  H.  Gilliland,  the  pastor,  with  99  additions;  January, 
1904,  by  Allen  Wilson,  with  89  additions;  January,  1905, 
by  J.  H.  Gilliland  with  106  additions.  Union  meeting  with 
the  First  Church  in  September,  1907,  the  Brooks  Brothers 
leading,  with  70  additions.  As  a  result  of  the  Billy  Sun- 
day meeting,  with  two  weeks'  preaching  by  the  pastor, 
there  were  160  additions.  In  a  short  meeting  by  E.  E.  Vio- 
let, in  March,  1909,  there  were  16  additions. 

I  closed  my  pastorate  with  the  Second  Church  July  i, 
1909.  The  church  had  a  membership  of  about  700.  About 
90  of  these  afterward  became  charter  members  of  the  Cen- 
tennial Church.  I  was  succeeded  by  Stephen  H.  Zendt,  the 
present  pastor.  Brother  Zendt  has  proved  himself  to  be  an 
earnest,  aggressive,  and  wise  leader  of  his  people,  and  is 
most  highly  esteemed  by  his  preaching  brethren  for  his 
solid  worth.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  has  become 
a  living  link  in  the  Foreign  Society,  and  other  advances 
made  in  the  work;  the  future  of  the  church  is  bright  with 
promise. 

February  29,  1908,  a  lot,  located  on  East  Grove  street 
and  Willard  avenue,  was  purchased  by  Mrs.  Aaron  Rhodes, 
Dr.  O.  M.  Rhodes  and  J.  H.  Gilliland,  with  the  hope  that 
in  due  time,  there  might  be  a  new  church  built  upon  it. 

In  March,  1908,  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Of- 
ficial Board  of  the  Second  Christian  Church,  and  approved 
by  the  congregation,  endorsing  the  movement  to  establish  a 
Christian  Church  east  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad;  in 
pursuance  of  this  action,  about  70  persons  signed  the  fol- 
lowing statement :  "We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  prom- 
ise and  covenant  together  to  become  the  charter  members 
of  an  East  Side  Christian  Church  in  Bloomington,  111.,  to 
be  located  on  the  south-east  corner  of  East  Grove  street  and 
Willard  avenue,  whenever  the  enterprise  can  be  placed  on 


16 

a  satisfactory  financial  basis,  and  the  new  church  is  ready 
for  occupancy." 

A  call  for  subscriptions  was  made  at  the  Second  Church 
on  Sunday,  October  18,  1908;  a  little  over  $10,000  was 
raised.  On  January  5,  1909,  the  following  building  com- 
mittee was  selected:  Dr.  O.  M.  Rhodes,  treasurer;  Har- 
vey Hart,  Dr.  W.  H.  Land,  clerk;  C.  B.  Merwin,  F.  R. 
Bean,  J.  A.  Harrison  and  J.  H.  Gilliland;  the  latter  was 
made  chairman,  and  to  this  committee  was  added  later  the 
name  of  J.  M.  McMurry. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  new  church  people,  held  January 
10,  1909,  the  building  committee  was  instructed  to  secure 
plans  and  proceed  with  the  new  house.  George  W.  Kramer 
of  New  York  City  was  selected  as  architect.  On  June  8, 
1909,  the  constituency  met  and  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  "Centennial  Christian  Church,  of  Bloomington, 
111.,"  selecting  for  trustees  Dr.  O.  M.  Rhodes,  C.  B.  Mer- 
win and  J.  M.  McMurry. 

Bids  were  received  by  the  committee  on  June  10,  1909, 
the  lowest  of  which,  that  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Ward,  was  accepted, 
and  after  some  adjustment  a  contract  was  made  with  him 
on  June  21,  1909,  for  $16,388.  Dr.  O.  M.  Rhodes,  C.  B. 
Merwin,  F.  R.  Bean,  and  Harvey  Hart  wrere  selected  as  a 
committee  to  supervise  the  erection  of  the  building.  The 
corner-stone  was  laid  August  22,  1909. 

The  church  was  dedicated  by  J.  H.  Gilliland,  the  pastor, 
May  i,  1910,  when  over  $15,000  was  raised  to  pay  the 
balance  of  the  $25,500,  the  total  cost  of  the  church,  includ- 
ing lot,  and  furnishings.  I  was  succeeded  in  this  pastorate 
September  i  by  Milo  Atkinson.  Brother  Atkinson  has 
proved  to  be  a  model  pastor  for  the  new  church.  The  tie 
of  affection,  mutual  regard  and  appreciation  can  be  no 
stronger  between  pastor  and  people,  than  exists  between 
Mr.  Atkinson  and  the  Centennial  Church. 


17 

The  Sunday  School  under  the  superintendency  of  J.  A. 
Harrison,  has  doubled.  A  meeting  in  January  and  Feb- 
ruary, 1912,  by  Herbert  Yeuell,  resulting  in  about  80  ad- 
ditions, has  increased  the  membership  to  235.  The  church 
enjoys  a  strategic  location;  her  spiritual  condition  is  al- 
most ideal;  her  ministry  of  helpfulness  for  the  future  is 
most  inviting  and  promising. 

No  resume  of  our  history  would  be  at  all  complete,  or 
satisfactory,  had  I  omitted  this  brief  account  of  these  two 
congregations,  the  one  the  daughter,  the  other  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  First  Church.  These  children  reflect  credit 
on  you;  they  are  most  worthy  of  your  cherishing  love. 
They  have  abundantly  justified  their  being;  the  one  is 
growing  in  the  strength  of  womanhood,  the  other  is  a  most 
beautiful  and  promising  girl,  with  whom,  I  confess  myself 
to  be  in  love. 

You  have  one  God,  you  have  one  Christ,  sou  have  one  plea,  you  have 
one  cause,  DOU  are  one  people,  gou  are  brethren  and  sisters  in  Christ  Jesus. 
"Keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,"  and  God  will  bless  and 
prosper  gou  all.  This  is  my  prayer  for  you. 


Interesting  as  such  a  recital  of  facts  and  figures  may 
be,  it  is,  after  all,  largely  the  record  of  the  external  and 
material  manifestation  of  religious  life.  I  must  now  turn 
to  the  consideration  of  that  phase  of  religious  life,  which 
is  of  more  moment,  the  mental  and  spiritual.  I  assume  that 
the  religious  life  of  Bloomington  is  but  an  arc  of  that  vast 
circumference  which  encircles  the  entire  country. 

No  church,  or  community  can  live  to  itself  alone;  all 
feel  the  pulsing  tides  of  scientific,  philosophic  and  religious 
thought  and  life;  our  problem,  therefore,  is  but  a  part  of 
the  greater  problem  of  our  country ;  hence,  our  discussion 
must  now  take  a  wider  range,  for  we  are  in  the  current  of 
the  world's  movement.  We  dare  not  lay  to  our  soul  the 


18 

flattering  unction  that  everything  in  our  religious  life  is 
ideal,  or  even  approaches  the  ideal.  There  are  many  con- 
ditions which  will  perplex  us  and  cause  anxiety,  yet  we 
must  face  the  facts, 

Some  are  so  anxious  to  live  the  "quiet  life"  they  refuse 
to  see  the  word  of  sin,  they  refuse  to  hear  the  cry  of  suf- 
fering humanity,  they  do  not  wish  to  be  stirred  from  their 
passivity  and  indifference,  to  any  sort  of  aggressive  battle 
for  a  great  cause,  knowing  that  to  think  is  painful,  and  to 
act  will  demand  sacrifice. 

Without  attempting,  at  great  length,  to  pass  on  the 
merits  of  the  case,  let  us  examine  briefly  the  Theological 
Status,  noting  some  changes,  and  transfer  of  emphasis  in 
recent  years. 

1.  There  has  been  a  change  of  emphasis  from  the  deity 
of  Jesus  to  his  personal    worth;    from  the    metaphysical 
Christ  to  the  historical  Christ.     Questions  like  the  follow- 
ing are  being  asked  anew  and  new  answers,  at  least  in  part, 
are  being  given:      Was  Jesus  sinless?     Did    Jesus    work 
miracles?     Did  he  forgive  sins?    Did  he  die  for  us?    Did 
he  rise  from  the  dead  ?    Did  he  really  live  at  all  ? 

2.  There  has  been  a  change  of  emphasis   from  the 
death  of  Jesus  to  the  teaching  and  example  of  Jesus. 

"The  trend  of  contemporary  opinion  is  very  largely  in 
one  direction;  namely,  to  define  the  essence  of  Christian- 
ity as  consisting  merely  of  the  teachings  and  examples  of 
Jesus,  as  recorded  in  the  first  three  Gospels  in  distinction 
from  that  view  of  the  Person  of  Christ  as  the  Eternal 
Word,  manifesting  the  Father,  and  the  Work  of  Christ  as 
the  suffering  and  triumphant  Saviour  of  the  world,  as  set 
forth  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  and  in  the  Apostolic  epistles." 
(C.  Hall). 

Mr.  Hall  says  the  above  tendency  is  based  on  three 
things — The  resistance  of  Scholastic  Theology  awakened  by 
modern  advances  and  reconstructions  in  philosophy.  The 


19 

resistance  of  Apostolic  Theology  through  identifying  it 
with  the  ponderous  scholastic  systems  built  upon  it. 
The  growth  of  the  historical  method  of  Bible  study, 
where  the  accent  is  placed  on  the  narratives  of  the  first 
three  Gospels,  including  the  teachings  and  the  idealistic  ex- 
ample of  Jesus  as  constituting  the  essence  of  the  Christian 
religion."  (Hall). 

3.  There    has  been  a  change  of    emphasis  from    the 
supernatural  to  the  natural;  from  the  authority  of  the  Bible 
to  the  Christian  consciousness. 

4.  The  modern  view  of  Miracle;   Virgin  Birth;    Res- 
urrection.    See  Thompson,  Gordon,  Warschauer,    Soltau, 
Lobstein,  Lake,  etc.,  etc. 

5.  There  has  been  a  change  of  emphasis  from  philo- 
sophical to  practical  materialism;    from    Christianity    to 
ethics,  and  humanitarianism ;     from  the  message  of  salva- 
tion from  sin  to  a  social  message;  from  the  conversion  of 
the  individual  to  the  redemption  of  society;   from  doctrine 
to  life  and  character. 

Notice  again  the  assumed  constructive  results  of  critical 
study : 

1.  The  very  general  acceptance  of  the  critical  method, 
which  has  made  the  Bible  a  new  book. 

2.  The  composite  character  of  certain  books  of  the 
Bible. 

3.  The  legendary,  mythical,  poetical,  and  human  ele- 
ments in  the  Bible. 

4.  The  purpose  of  the  Bible  better  understood. 

5.  The  recovery  of  the  real  humanity  of  the  Biblical 
personages,  Abraham,  David,  Isaac,  Jacob,  all  real  human 
beings.     God  used  them;    He  has  always  been  shut  up  to 
the  use  of  human  beings  for  the  execution  of  His  purposes. 

6.  The  belief  that  the  authority  of  the  Bible  has  not 
been  impaired  by  the  passing  of  the  verbal  theory  of  in- 
spiration and  inerrency. 


20 

7.  That  Revelation  is  progressive. 

8.  That  God  has  been  teaching  the  world  by  incarna- 
'tions  and  principles,  and  not  by  specific  rules. 

9.  That  the  Bible  is  not  of  equal  value  in  all  its  parts ; 
that  it  is  not  a  "Level  Bible." 

10.  That  direct  access  to  the  Bible,  and  the  exercise 
of  private  judgment  in  its  interpretation,  is  the  right  and 
duty  of  every  individual.     That  nothing  should  stand  be- 
tween the  spirit  of  inquiry  and  the  word  of  God. 

In  order  to  make  the  remaining  portion  of  this  address 
more  catholic,  more  representative  of  the  convictions  of  re- 
ligious leaders;  to  make  it  a  sort  of  concensus  of  opinion 
on  the  religious  situation  in  Bloomington,  I  have  addressed 
several  of  my  fellow-pastors  two  inquiries,  which  they  have 
very  kindly  answered: 

What  is  the  most  serious  defect  in  the  religious  life  of 
your  congregation;  the  thing  which  most  hinders  the  suc- 
cess and  prosperity  of  your  work  ? 

What,  in  your  judgment,  are  some  of  the  most  danger- 
ous conditions  or  tendencies  in  the  religious  life  of  the 
present  day ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  w^hat  are  some  of  the 
most  hopeful  conditions  or  tendencies  in  the  religious  life 
of  the  present  day?  Time  forbids  an  elaboration  of  these 
replies;  however,  I  think  it  will  be  of  interest  to  recite, 
just  here,  without  comment,  the  answers  given  to  the  first 
query. 

I  sent  out  nine  letters,  and  received  seven  replies. 

i.  The  first  answer  to  query  No.  I  is  "Indifference." 
This  answer  was  given  by  three  persons  out  of  the  seven. 

2..  Decline  of  religious  life  in  the  home.  Two  gave 
this  answer. 

3.  Failure  to  realize  the  divine  obligation  of  church 

VOW9. 

4.  Unfaithfulness  in  attendance  on  public  worship,  and 
the  lack  of  personal  work. 


SECOND  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


21 

5.  The  worldly  spirit,  evidenced  in  seeking  for  pleas- 
ure, wealth,  and  social  distinction  at  the  expense  of  deep 
religious  things. 

6.  The  substitution  of  formalism  for  vital  Christianity. 

7.  Prayerlessness,  and  the  consequent  shallow  sense  of 
loyalty  to  the  obligations  of  church  membership. 

I  must  now  set  forth  an  answer  to  the  second  query, 
above,  utilizing  the  suggestions,  as  I  may,  made  by  the 
pastors. 

I.  What  are  some  of  the  most  dangerous  conditions, 
or  tendencies  in  the  religious  life  of  the  present  day? 

1.  The  Love  of  the  World. 

As  Demas  left  Paul,  loving  this  present  world,  so  many 
are  leaving  Christ  and  the  church,  because  they  love  the 
world  and  the  things  of  the  world ;  unmindful  of  the  teach- 
ing of  John — "Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  of 
the  world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him.  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust 
of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  vain  glory  of 
life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world.  And  the 
world  passeth  away,  and  the  lust  thereof;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever."  i  Jno.  2:15-17. 

Many  "determined  to  be  rich,  to  possess  the  world,  fall 
into  a  temptation  and  a  snare  and  matiy  foolish  and  hurt- 
ful lusts,  such  as  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition. 
For  the  love  of  money  is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil;  which 
some  reaching  after  have  been  led  astray  from  the  faith, 
and  have  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows." 
i  Tim.  6:9-10. 

We  are  in  great  need  of  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle 
to  flee  these  things ;  and  follow  after  righteousness,  godli- 
ness, faith,  love,  patience,  and  meekness." 

2.  The  Passion  for  Amusement. 

This  tendency  is  so  pronounced  that  almost  every  pas- 
tor noted  it.  Amusement,  here  is  not  to  be  confounded 


22 

with  healthful  recreation,  with  legitimate  play,  but  it  re- 
fers to  that  craze  which  is  leading  all  classes  of  society  in 
a  mad  desire  to  be  superficially  amused,  coddled;  till  all 
appetite  for  the  substantial  is  destroyed;  till  serious  views 
of  life  are  dissipated;  till  men  and  women  are  incapaci- 
tated for  thinking,  till  the  great  concerns  of  life  are  buried 
beneath  a  senseless  demand  for  "a  good  time,"  without  re- 
gard to  the  effect  on  the  physical,  moral,  or  spiritual  life. 

Public  conveyances  are  thronged,  the  places  of  amuse- 
ment are  wide  open,  and  filled  with  seekers  after  the  spec- 
tacular, after  entertainment;  the  interests  of  home,  church, 
moral  life  are  sacrificed.  Witness  our  recent  election  when 
the  theaters  of  Bloomington  were  refused  the  privilege  of 
opening  on  Sunday,  by  the  shameful  majority  of  266. 

3.  The  prevalent  Criticism  of  the  Church. 

The  church  is  regarded  by  some,  as  the  enemy,  rather 
than  the  friend  of  men ;  as  the  robber  of  their  rights  and 
privileges  and  pleasures.  It  is  charged  with  attempting  to 
exercise  an  authority  to  which  it  has  no  rightful  claim. 

It  is  held  responsible  for  every  lapse  in  morals  among 
professed  Christians,  and  not  a  few,  with  Satanic  delight, 
say,  "Another  of  your  church  members." 

It  is  charged  with  being  out  of  sympathy  with  the  poor, 
and  toiling  masses;  belated  and  antique  as  related  to  the 
great  scientific,  and  philosophic  world;  as  indifferent  to 
social  evils,  and  to  the  tyrannical  dominance  over  the  peo- 
ple, of  great  financial,  and  soulless  corporations. 

Others  class  the  church  with  human  institutions,  and 
regard  membership  in  it  as  undesirable,  much  less  essential. 

4.  The  Lack  of  the  .Spirit  of  Urgency;   the  spirit  that 
would  compel  them  to  come  in;    that  would  count  every- 
thing as  dross,  that  Christ  might  be  won. 

There  is  a  widespread  indifference  and  apathy  among 
Christians  as  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  abandon  in  the  service 
of  Christ  is  madness,  a  generous  giving  of  money  is  a  suffi- 


23 

cient  ground  for  suspicion.  There  is  a  lack  of  rejoicing 
over  the  conversion  of  sinners;  no  adequate  sense  of  the 
loss  of  a  soul  without  God.  The  Lord's  prayer  to  send 
laborers  in  the  field,  and  his  injunction  to  labor  while  it  is 
day  as  the  night  soon  cometh,  awaken  no  resolve  to  heroic 
endeavor. 

There  is  little  heart-breaking,  soul-anguish  over  sin, 
over  the  lost,  over  the  languishing  enterprises  of  the  divine 
kingdom. 

5.     Errors  and  Abnormalities  of  Modern  Evangelism. 

Measuring  evangelistic  efficiency  by  the  number  of  con- 
verts, and  the  feverish  desire  for  numbers,  without  regard 
to  how  they  are  made,  and  misleading  newspaper  reports  of 
results.  The  lack  of  clear  and  adequate  scriptural  preach- 
ing, resulting  in  no  intelligent  convictions  as  to  truth  and 
duty,  in  the  minds  of  the  converts.  Evangelism  is  often 
marred  by  irreverence,  slang,  the  lack  of  culture,  and  sec- 
tarianism. Often  a  total  failure  to  recognize  and  proceed 
in  harmony  with  true  psychology. 

The  comment  of  a  recent  writer — "Of  evangelism  of 
the  true  order  the  church  will  always  be  an  advocate. 
Evangelism  lies  at  the  heart  of  the  gospel.  The  call  of  men 
to  the  holy  life  must  be  made  imperious  and  compelling  in 
every  generation  of  Christian  history.  But  of  a  revivalism 
that  is  mechanical,  legalistic,  emotional,  hypnotic,  and  ap- 
parently chiefly  concerned  with  numbers  rather  than  char- 
acter, with  newspaper  reports  rather  than  with  permanent 
transformation  of  life,  we  have  had  quite  enough.  The 
price  of  such  evangelism  is  too  great  in  the  waste  of  many 
who  pass  through  these  paroxyms  of  emotional  fervor 
without  further  results,  and  become  thereby  less  susceptible 
than  ever  to  Christian  influence;  in  the  cheapening  of  re- 
ligion throughout  the  community,  by  making  it  an  agency 
for  entreating,  cajoling,  threatening,  and  wheedling  men 


24 

and  women  into  the  churches;  and  in  the  inevitable  tend- 
ency to  interpret  God  in  terms  so  trivial  and  mechanical  that 
men  lose  regard  for  the  Father  who  should  be  the  very 
center  and  source  of  their  lives." 

6.  The  Misuse  and  Desecration  of  the  Lord's  Day. 

This  is  made  a  day  for  travel,  for  pleasure,  picnics,  vis- 
iting, for  lounging  at  home  with  a  Sunday  paper,  or  other 
light  reading.  Neglect  of  religious  meditation,  of  public 
worship,  of  the  Lord's  table,  resulting  in  a  slackness  of 
morals,  and  impoverishment  of  the  soul. 

The  day  is  desecrated  by  the  open  saloon,  the  open  play- 
houses and  dens  of  vice;  by  Sunday  ball  games,  races,  by 
great  crowds  of  men  and  women  assembled  for  public 
drinking  and  carousal.  There  is  a  widespread  failure  to 
understand  the  character  and  purpose  of  the  Lord's  Day. 
"The  inspiration  of  this  day  is  its  joyous  liberty,  the  lib- 
erty which  is  born  of  love. 

"It  is  not  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  nor  a  Christian  substitute 
for  a  Jewish  Sabbath.  It  is  not  a  day  of  bondage  to  tradi- 
tion, a  day  whose  meaning  is  realized  and  whose  use  is 
fulfilled  in  a  stern  routine  of  ordinances,  resting  like  a  yoke 
on  the  neck  of  life.  It  is  a  day  of  spontaneous  expression, 
a  day  of  gladness  and  affection,  a  day  whose  uses  love,  and 
love  only,  can  control. 

"No  one  can  be  said  to  keep  this  day  who  does  not  love 
and  honor  the  risen  Lord.  It  is  the  Lord's  day,  and  only 
they  who  care  for  Him,  care  for  it." — Cuthbert  Hall. 

7.  Another  condition,  though  not  dangerous,  is  per- 
haps  serious,    and    deserving    of    serious    consideration, 
namely — "The  multiplicity  of  agencies  for  Christian  activi- 
ties such  as  the  Y.M.C.A.,  Y.W.C.A.  Federated  Brother- 
hoods, Associated  and  Affiliated  Christian  organizations  of 
many  kinds,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  overlap,  and  work  over 
and  over  again  certain  groups  of  people  already  busy  in 
their  various  churches,  or  people  who  should  be  busy  in 


25 

teaching  Bible  school  classes  and  working  in  various  like 
capacities."  I  have  stated  this  condition  in  the  language  of 
one  of  the  pastors;  I  believe  the  statement  is  justified;  I 
believe  the  work  of  the  church  is  often  .weakened  rather 
than  strengthened  by  so  many  such  organizations. 

I  would  not  assume  the  role  of  a  critic,  for  I  am  the 
friend  of  every  institution  having  for  its  purpose  the  uplift 
and  betterment  of  humanity;  I  believe,  however,  that  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  one,  supreme,  divine  agency 
for  the  world's  redemption,  and  all  these  other  organiza- 
tions should  do  her  work  and  contribute  to  her  upbuilding 
and  success,  and  in  her  name  for  her  glory  and  not  their 
own. 

For  example,  the  Y.M.C.A.,  one  of  the  best  of  these 
institutions ;  made  possible  by  the  church,  supported  by  the 
church,  and  to  her  we  send  our  boys  and  men;  does  she 
send  to  the  churches  material  for  new  members  ?  Does  she 
return  the  boys  and  men,  who  are  already  members  of  the 
church,  with  greater  loyalty  to  the  church,  and  more  will- 
ing to  serve  the  church  along  her  lines  of  work?  Does  she 
make  it  easier  for  the  pastors  to  find  men  to  carry  out  their 
programs  of  church  service?  I  have  asked  several  pastors 
of  late,  what  specific,  definite,  helpful  contribution  has  the 
Y.M.C.A.  made  to  your  church?  I  ask  you  this  question, 
not  as  a  critic ;  not  assuming  that  no  such  contribution  has 
been  made,  but  simply  as  a  querist. 

This  array  of  dangerous  conditions  is  quite  formidable, 
yet,  in  my  judgment,  they  are  but  symptoms  of  yet  more 
fundamental,  and  alarming  conditions. 

i.     The  weakening  of  the  Sense  of  Authority. 

Parental  authority  is  on  the  wane;  respect  for  civil 
authority  is  declining ;  the  almost  total  lack  of  discipline  in 
the  church  is  the  result  of  the  dethronement  of  authority. 

There  are  many  who  fear  neither  God  nor  man,  they  are 
a  law  unto  themselves.  We  are,  perhaps,  the  most  lawless 


26 

civilized  people  on  earth.  There  are  many,  whom,  if  you 
undertake  to  persuade  to  the  acceptance  of  certain  truths 
or  a  certain  way  of  conduct,  will  laugh  you  to  scorn;  ap- 
peal to  Jesus  and  they  will  tell  you  he  was  but  a  man;  ap- 
peal to  the  Bible,  they  will  tell  you  that  it  is  of  no  more 
authority  than  any  other  good  book.  What  "I  think"  set- 
tles the  question. 

2.  The  Failing  Sense  of  Sin. 

We  are  told  there  is  no  sin;  there  is  little  crying  out 
for  mercy  because  of  sin,  there  is  little  profound  moving 
of  the  conscience  on  account  of  sin.  Speak  to  a  company  of 
wordly  cultured  people  as  sinners  and  you  insult  them,  they 
will  resent  it.  Jesus  counted  men  sinners  and  came  to  save 
them.  Where  there  is  no  sense  of  sin,  there  sin  abounds; 
where  there  is  no  conscious  need  of  a  personal  Saviour, 
men  do  not  cry  out  for  forgiveness. 

Men  are  self-satisfied,  self-sufficient,  they  need  no  God, 
they  need  no  salvation. 

3.  The  Lack  of  Faith. 

4.  The  Lack  of  an  Intelligent  Understanding  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

5.  The  Lack  of  Vital  Christianity. 

The  substitution  of  formalism,  vague  religiousness  for 
vital  Christianity;  church  membership  for  piety  and  de- 
votion. 

Mr.  J.  R.  Campbell  says  the  lack  is  far  more  pronounced 
in  this  country  than  in  England. 

We  substitute  morality,  charity,  human  institutions  for 
Christianity.  We  would  like  to  be  Christians,  but  we  do 
not  wish  to  pay  the  price,  to  bear  the  burden,  make  the  sac- 
rifice. We  want  to  be  Christians  by  some  short  cut,  by 
some  "booster"  method,  by  some  "rally"  plan. 

6.  The  Decay  of  Family  Religion. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  lamentable  and  threatening  of 
the  dangers  to  our  religious  life.  Scripture  reading,  re- 


27 

ligious  conversation,  and  the  family  altar  are  neglected. 
Many  homes  of  the  church,  as  well  as  of  the  world,  have 
no  positive  religious  influence  on  the  members  of  the  fam- 
ily. If  you  enter  some  Christian  homes,  elegant  in  appoint- 
ment, with  occupants,  intelligent,  possessed  of  a  certain 
refinement  and  culture,  you  will  find  the  atmosphere  is  sur- 
charged with  business,  society,  plans  for  pleasure  and  ease, 
and  wholly  lacking  in  any  vital  Christian  character. 

"I  am,  therefore,  in  no  mood  to  disparage  the  ministries 
of  the  schools,  but  I  am  in  a  mood  to  declare  that  all  their 
ministries  are  secondary,  and  that  if  we  make  them  primary 
we  are  disregarding  the  fountains.  The  natural  and  the  ap- 
pointed place  for  children  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  God 
is  their  own  home.  The  most  powerful  and  persuasive  lips 
for  declaring  the  awful  sanctities  of  religion  are  the  priestly 
lips  of  the  ordained  parent.  I  would  prefer  the  early  guid- 
ance of  the  illumined  father  or  mother  to  the  instruction  of 
all  the  State  teachers  and  official  priests  in  Christendom! 
And  why?  Because,  in  the  first  place,  there  has  been  com- 
mitted to  the  parents  the  psychological  opportunity  when 
spiritual  guidance  can  best  be  given.  We  have  fatally  post- 
dated the  season  when  spiritual  receptiveness  begins,  the 
angel  is  stirring  the  waters  of  opportunity  long  before  many 
of  us  dream.  When  wonder  is  just  born,  when  feeble 
imagination  begins  to  try  her  wings,  when  desire  awakes 
and  goes  abroad  in  curious  quest,  aye,  when  love  springs 
up,  and  shines  and  clings,  the  door  is  ajar  for  the  gentle 
guide  of  souls.  That  early  hour  of  delicate  susceptibility, 
that  season  when  the  surface  of  life  is  porous  to  the  High- 
est, is  the  opportunity  of  the  parent,  and  of  the  parent 
alone.  And  as  theirs  is  the  opportunity,  so  theirs  is  the 
superlative  privilege,  and  to  them  has  been  entrusted  the 
sacred  office  of  "taking  occasion  by  the  hand,"  and  of  lead- 
ing the  impressionable  life  into  adoring  intimacy  with  the 
Lord.  For,  after  all,  the  preeminent  and  proudest  preroga- 


28 

tive  of  a  parent  is  to  introduce  his  child  to  the  Master,  and 
to  tenderly  guide  him  in  the  earliest  stages  of  his  pilgrim- 
age to  Zion.  "Only  take  heed  to  thyself,  and  keep  thy  soul 
diligently,  lest  thou  forget,  the  things  which  thine  eyes 
have  seen,  and  lest  they  depart  from  thy  heart  all  the  days 
of  thy  life;  but  teach  them,  thy  sons,  and  thy  sons'  sons." 
"Thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  children,  and 
shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down,  and 
when  thou  riseth  up."  "And  ye  fathers,  provoke  not  your 
chilren  to  wrath,  but  bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord." 

There  is  a  great  dearth  of  religious  training  in  the 
home,  many  parents  fail  altogether,  and  turn  over  the  re- 
ligious training  of  their  children  to  the  Sunday  School,  or 
other  outside  agency.  The  Christian  woman  who  dele- 
gates the  care  and  religious  instruction  of  her  child  to  an- 
other is  unworthy  of  motherhood,  if  she  be  so  endowed 
and  circumstanced  that  she  herself  can  perform  the  service. 
Hundreds  of  parents  acknowledge  failure  to  lead  their  chil- 
dren to  a  religious  life,  to  the  Sunday  School,  and  especially 
into  the  church,  and  keep  them  there ;  the  problem  of  the 
young  people  in  the  church  is  a  home  problem. 

Many  deplore  the  fact  that  the  public  school  teacher  is 
deprived  of  the  privilege  of  religious  teaching,  yet  these 
same  persons  have  relinquished  the  God-given  privilege, 
and  divinely  imposed  obligation  of  religious  home  training. 

This  condition  is  traceable  in  part,  to  flippant  and  un- 
worthy views  of  the  marriage  relation.  It  is  often  entered 
without  serious  thought,  or  preparation;  it  is  treated  as  a 
joke,  and  broken  without  conscience.  "Marriage  is  robbed 
of  spiritual  significance,  much  of  the  literature  of  the  day 
is  creating  a  secular  and  superficial  conception  of  father- 
hood and  motherhood;  marriage  is  deteriorating  into  a 
mere  civil  institution." 


29 

It  is  regarded  as  a  mere  personal  convenience,  whereas 
God  gave  it  to  us  as  the  fundamental  religious  institution. 

How  much  do  we  need  to  safeguard  it!  It  is  today 
more  endangered  than  ever  before.  Prof.  Ellwood  in  a 
recent  volume  on  "Socialism  and  Modern  Problems,"  says : 
"We  find  that  the  family  life  at  the  beginning  of  the  2Oth 
century  is  in  a  more  unstable  condition  than  it  has  been  at 
any  time  since  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era." 

It  is  endangered  by  the  removal  of  its  sanctities,  by  cer- 
tain destructive  social  teachings;  by  the  loss  of  authority, 
reverence  and  respect;  moreover,  the  questions  of  indus- 
trial womanhood,  child  labor,  boarding  house  and  hotel 
life,  drunkenness,  lust  and  easy  divorce  combine  to  break 
it  down. 

In  1885  this  country  had  more  divorces  than  all  the  rest 
of  the  Christian  civilized  world  put  together:  23,472  as 
against  20.131;  in  1905,  68,000  as  against  40,000.  The 
divorce  rates  tell  the  same  story.  In  1905  France  granted 
i  divorce  to  30  marriages;  Germany  i  to  44;  England 
i  to  400;  Switzerland  i  to  22;  the  United  States  i  to  12; 
the  state  of  Washington  i  to  4 ;  Montana  i  to  5 ;  Colo- 
rado, Arkansas,  Texas  and  Indiana  i  to  6. 

Divorces  in  the  United  States  are  apparently  increasing 
faster  than  the  population.  From  1867  to  1886  divorces 
increased  157  per  cent;  the  population  increased  about  60 
per  cent;  from  1887  to  1906  divorces  increased  160  per 
cent,  and  population  50  per  cent, — divorces  thus  increasing 
in  the  United  States  three  times  as  fast  as  the  population. 
In  1870,  3.5  per  cent  of  all  marriages  in  the  United  States 
were  terminated  by  divorce;  in  1900,  8  per  cent,  and  it  is 
estimated  that  at  the  present  rate  of  increase,  by  1990  one- 
half  of  all  marriages  will  be  terminated  by  divorce.  Can 
you  imagine  the  moral  degradation  of  that  period?  Do 
you  believe  that  our  civil  and  religious  institutions  can  long 
survive  such  a  condition? 


30 

There  are  no  less  than  36  grounds  for  divorce  recog- 
nized by  our  laws;  from  one  in  New  York  to  14  in  New 
Hampshire.  Of  the  million  divorces  granted  from  1867  to 
'1906,  94  per  cent  were  granted  for  adultery,  desertion, 
cruelty,  imprisonment  for  crime,  habitual  drunkenness  and 
neglect  on  the  part  of  the  husband  to  provide  for  the  fam- 
ily. Fifty-five  per  cent  were  for  adultery  and  desertion 
alone.  This  leads  Prof.  Ellwood,  from  whose  book  I  take 
these  figures,  to  say:  "We  must  conclude,  therefore,  that 
divorce  is  prevalent  not  because  of  the  laxity  of  our  laws, 
but  rather  because  of  the  decay  of  our  family  life;  that 
divorce  is  but  a  symptom  of  the  disintegration  of  the  mod- 
ern family." 

Among  the  causes  for  divorce  mentioned  by  Mr.  Ell- 
wood,  are  these:  i.  The  decay  of  the  religious  theory  of 
marriage  and  the  family.  2  Individualism;  the  spirit 
which  leads  a  man  to  find  his  law  in  his  own  wishes,  even 
in  his  whims  and  caprices.  3.  Modern  Industrialism. 
4.  The  growth  of  our  cities,  where  divorces  are  more  fre- 
quent. 5.  Increasing  laxity  of  the  laws  regarding  divorce, 
and  increasing  laxity  in  the  administration  of  the  laws  has 
certainly  been  a  cause  of  increasing  divorce  in  the  United 
States." 

We  cannot,  therefore,  escape  the  conclusion  that  the 
decay  of  family  religion  is  the  fundamental  danger  of  this 
present  age. 

II.     What  are  Some  of  the  Most  Hopeful  Conditions 
and  Tendencies  in  the  Religious  Life  of  the  Present  Day? 

1.  A  better  conception  of  God  as  Personal,  Imminent, 
Transcending;   as  the  Loving  Father  of  all  men. 

2.  The  Conviction,  without  metaphysical  theory,  that 
Jesus  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world.     That  personal  loyalty 
to  him  is  the  essence  of  Christianity. 

3.  The  conception  that  Man  is  Divine;    that  he  is  of 
transcendent  value;    a  value  exceeding  that  of    dogmas, 


31 

days,  ordinances,  institutions  and  books.  He  is  the  final 
cause  of  divine  and  human  endeavor. 

4.  The  Awakening  to  the  Consciousness  of  the  dan- 
gers and  evils  in  the  world,  and  the  growing  determination 
on  the  part  of  the  best  men  and  women  of  all  classes  and 
vocations  to  grapple  with  and  destroy  them. 

5.  The   Modern   Sunday   School  movement,   and  the 
Men's  Forward  movement. 

6.  The  changed  attitude  to  the  Social  Question. 
This  question  as  we  now  look  at  it  is  comparatively 

new.  "The  word  'socialism'  is  believed  to  have  been 
coined  by  Comte  about  1839.  The  phrase  'social  organism' 
was  popularized  for  English  readers  by  Herbert  Spencer 
in  1860."  General  interest  in  the  subject  has  arisen  during 
the  period  under  review  tonight ;  most  of  the  best  books  on 
the  subject  have  been  published  in  recent  years. 

It  is  said,  "that  all  problems  of  human  life  are  parts  of 
the  social  problem."  This  has  been  called  the  "era  of  the 
social  question."  The  social  problem  has  been  defined  as 
"the  outer  margin  of  the  question  of  personal  experience." 

"It  is  the  adjustment  of  the  individual  and  the  social 
whole  in  the  family,  in  the  state,  in  the  industrial  order 
and  elsewhere." 

There  is  an  increasing  sense  of  brotherhood,  a  greater 
willingness  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  our  brother's 
keeper.  Socialism,  at  times  and  in  some  forms,  has  sought 
to  destroy  the  idea  of  God,  has  opposed  the  church,  and 
proposed  to  furnish  a  substitute  for  Christianity. 

Possessed  of  the  idea  that  Christianity  is  concerned 
about  the  other  world,  and  not  at  all  about  the  present,  we 
are  not  surprised  at  the  attitude.  The  church,  however,  is 
not  chiefly  concerned  about  the  future,  but  is  concerned 
about  making  a  heaven  on  earth  now;  is  primarily  inter- 
ested in  securing  to  all  classes  better  economical,  intel- 
lectual, and  spiritual  conditions.  The  church  has  never 


32 

conceived  her  mission  more  clearly,  as  voiced  by  R.  J. 
Campbell, — "to  relate  more  closely  the  Gospel  message  to 
the  ethical  ideals  of  social  justice,  and  human  brotherhood." 

This  the  church  must  do  for  her  self-preservation;  she 
must  train  her  leaders  and  members,  as  far  as  possible,  to 
be  social  leaders  and  workers.  "This  does  not  mean  to 
serve  on  reception  committees,  to  teach  boys'  clubs,  to  or- 
ganize boy  scouts,  collect  subscriptions,  officiate  at  pink 
teas  and  such  like  functions ;  but  to  'see  things  steadily,  and 
see  them  whole/  as  was  said  of  Sophocles;  men  with  an 
all-around  view,  persons  who  are  trained  in  the  complex 
problems  of  the  economic  and  social  world.  Unless  such 
social  wisdom  is  developed  in  the  churches,  then  the  organi- 
zation of  religion  is  likely  to  lose  its  authority  over  modern 
minds,  and  to  be  abandoned  by  an  increasing  number  of 
persons  as  a  refuge  for  sentimentalists,  the  ecclesiastics, 
and  the  reactionaries."  Pera. 

As  Dr.  Mathews  says :  "The  church  is  not  to  be  made 
a  religionless  mixture  of  civil  service  reform,  debating  so- 
cieties, gymnasiums,  athletics,  suppers,  concerts,  stereopti- 
con  lectures,  good  advice,  refined  negro  minstrels,  and  dra- 
matic entertainments." 

This  is  to  degrade  the  church  and  betray  her  mission. 

There  is  in  the  minds  of  some  people  a  notion  that 
Christianity  is  one  thing,  and  social  service  another.  This 
distinction  has  been  made  to  the  hurt  of  the  church,  and 
church  workers  have  sometimes  consented  to  it,  and  are, 
in  a  measure,  to  blame  for  the  perpetuity  of  this  false  dis- 
tinction. Social  service  that  is  of  any  value,  is  Christian 
service.  Christian  service  is  for  the  whole  man,  and  for 
all  men;  nothing  can  be  more  comprehensive  than  this. 

There  is  a  growing  and  deepening  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  the  leaders  of  human  uplift  and  betterment,  that 
Christianity  is  efficient  for  the  salvation  of  both  the  in- 
dividual and  society,  and  that  the  church  is  the  divinely 


33 

appointed  agency  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  task ;  that 
"we  stand  on  the  threshold  of  a  greater  religious  era  than 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  that  the  distinguishing  mark 
of  it  will  be  the  prevalence,  in  all  phases  of  human  life,  of 
the  essential  spirit  and  principles  of  the  religion  of  Jesus; 
and  that  there  is  a  tendency  to  recognize  with  increasing 
clearness,  that  moral  enthusiasm  and  effectiveness  have  their 
normal  and  constant  source  in  religion."  Bib.  Wld.  4/12. 

7.  Finally — Among  the  hopeful  tendencies  is — The 
Vision  of  a  Larger  World;  the  new  era  of  Missions;  the 
new  consecration  of  men  and  money  to  the  world's  evange- 
lization. 

Conscious  kinship  in  Jesus  is  inspiring  men  to  make  the 
noblest  sacrifices ;  the  nations  of  the  earth  are  coming  into 
their  inheritance;  every  real  problem  is  a  world  problem, 
and  every  world  problem  is  the  problem  of  man's  salvation. 

The  vision  of  a  united  people  under  the  banner  of  Christ 
is  thrilling  the  universal  heart.  Contributions  to  its  reali- 
zation come  from  every  quarter  of  the  earth,  for  ex- 
ample,— Dr.  J.  L.  Barton,  secretary  of  the  American  Board 
(Congregationalist)  before  a  recent  inter-denominational 
conference  of  missionary  secretaries  and  leaders,  urged 
the  necessity  of  a  united  church  of  Christ,  to  meet  the  new 
and  intricate  problems  attendant  on  national  reconstruc- 
tion." The  missionaries  in  China  would  quickly  create  one 
church  for  the  empire,  were  it  not  for  the  denominations 
at  home. 

We  are  truly  living  in  a  great  and  wondrous  age;  let  us  not  be  laggards;  let  us 
not  be  selfish;  let  us  not  be  overmuch  interested  in  the  things  which  die  with  the 
dap. 

May  we  count  no  burden  too  heavy,  no  sacrifice  too  great,  that  we  map  walk  in 
that  goodly  company  committed  to  the  imperishable  verities  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

May  we  open  our  eyes  to  the  entrancing  vision  of  a  Christ  conquered  world; 
may  we  open  our  ears  to  the  cry  of  the  needy,  and  gird  our  loins  for  a  ministry  to 
the  world's  hurt. 

I  congratulate  you,  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  First 
Church,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  75th  anniversary  of  your 


34 

church  life;  your  record  has  been  a  creditable  one;  God 
has  led  you  and  blessed  you.  There  is  a  great  company  of 
sainted  ones,  who  have  gone  out  from  this  congregation, 
looking  down  upon  you  with  approval  tonight;  they  are 
wishing  you  many  returns  of  this  day;  they  are  wishing 
for  you  loyalty  to  Christ  and  his  church.  In  twenty-five 
years  more,  nearly  all,  if  not  quite  all,  who  were  25  or  30 
years  of  age  when  I  came,  will  have  passed  on;  a  new 
generation  will  have  the  work  of  this  church;  young  men 
and  women,  prepare  for  it,  and  may  God  help  you  to  be 
as  heroic  and  true  as  have  been  your  fathers  and  mothers. 
"And  may  the  God  of  peace,  who  brought  again  from 
the  dead  the  good  shepherd  of  the  sheep,  with  the  blood 
of  the  eternal  covenant,  even  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  make 
you  perfect  in  every  good  thing  to  do  his  will,  working  in 
us  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  his  sight,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever,  Amen." 


THE  FUNERAL  OF  J.  H.  GILLILAND 

Sunday,  April  28,  the  day  of  Mr.  Gilliland's  funeral, 
was  gloomy  and  somber.  The  rain  fell  most  of  the  time 
in  solemn  downpour.  It  was  as  though  the  heavens  wept 
with  us  in  our  great  loss.  Long  before  the  hour  for  the 
service,  which  was  2  130  in  the  afternoon,  the  First  Church 
was  crowded  with  people.  The  main  auditorium  upstairs 
and  down,  Bible  School  rooms,  and  vestibule  were  thronged, 
many  standing  throughout  the  necessarily  long  service. 

The  floral  offerings  were  profuse  and  beautiful.  They 
were  piled  in  fragrant  heaps  about  the  pulpit  and  arranged 
in  orderly  array  around  the  platform. 

The  reading  of  the  great  hymn,  "Fallen  on  Zion's  Bat- 
tlefield, a  Soldier  of  Renown,"  opened  the  service,  after 
which  a  mixed  quartet  sang  "Rock  of  Ages."  Dr.  John  L. 
Jackson,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  read  comfort- 
ing passages  from  the  scriptures  and  offered  prayer.  Next 
a  solo,  "Come  Ye  Disconsolate,"  was  sung.  Edgar  De- 
Witt  Jones,  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  delivered  the  fol- 
lowing 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESS 

For  the  second  time  within  a  decade,  our  city  mourns 
the  death  of  an  eminent  member  of  the  ministerial  body, 
and  our  churches  a  leader  who  led. 

Nine  years  ago,  last  month,  a  concourse  of  people  simi- 
lar to  this  one  of  today  assembled  within  these  walls  to  pay 
tribute  to  the  beautiful  life  and  blessed  memory  of  Arthur 
Wilson.  It  was  a  grief -stricken  people  that  gathered  here 
that  day  and  very  great  was  their  need  of  comfort.  The 
minister  who  spoke  the  eulogy  then  and  who  comforted  the 
bereft,  was  the  man  in  whose  memory  we  are  met  today, 
the  wise,  far-seeing,  faithful  J.  H.  Gilliland. 

On  Friday  night,  a  week  ago,  Mr.  Gilliland  was  present 
with  us  at  a  service  in  the  church.  His  voice  was  lifted  in 
prayer.  He  listened  with  interest  to  an  address  by  N.  S. 
Haynes.  After  the  meeting  was  over,  he  laughed  and 
talked  with  friends.  He  seemed  in  excellent  spirits.  It 
was  remarked  how  well  he  looked,  how  strong  and  vigor- 
ous. The  next  day  at  noon,  as  he  was  giving  final  revision 
to  a  carefully  prepared  address  on  his  twenty-five  years'  ex- 
perience as  a  Bloomington  pastor,  he  was  suddenly  stricken 
low.  For  six  days  he  lingered  thus  and  on  last  Friday 
evening,  more  suddenly  than  the  first  stroke,  a  second  fol- 
lowed and  his  strong,  heroic  spirit  passed  away. 

Dazed  and  bewildered,  we  find  it  difficult  to  accept  the 
fact  of  this  strong  and  useful  man's  passing.  Early  yes- 
terday morning  I  awoke.  Day  was  breaking,  birds  were 
singing  joyously.  Slowly,  like  a  half  forgotten  dream, 
there  came  to  me  the  realization  of  our  great  loss.  J.  H. 
Gilliland  was  dead.  The  strong  man  upon  whom  many  of 
us  loved  to  lean  had  gone  from  us.  O,  the  old-fashioned 
death!  O,  experience  ancient  as  humanity,  yet  so  eternally 
new,  so  tragically  recent. 


CENTENNIAL  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


37 

At  such  a  time  as  this,  words  are  but  feeble  vehicles  ol 
even  heartfelt  sympathy  and  human  speech  seems  strangely 
poor  and  inadequate. 

James  H.  Gilliland's  place  in  our  city  was  unique  and 
his  influence  mighty  for  good. 

AN  EXTRAORDINARY  MINISTRY. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  lived  and  labored  here. 
He  came  here  a  young  preacher  full  of  energy.  He  was 
consecrated,  studious,  growing,  and  such  he  continued  to 
the  last.  His  career  here  has  never  been  duplicated  by  any 
minister  in  our  own  communion.  I  doubt  if  it  has  been 
by  any  one  anywhere.  For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Gilliland  was 
pastor  of  this  church,  building  the  commodious  edifice  in 
which  we  are  gathered  today.  Then  he  organized  the  Sec- 
ond Church  and. led  them  in  the  building  of  their  handsome 
structure.  .  Next  he  organized  the  Centennial  Church  and 
built  their  beautiful  edifice,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
he  was  leading  the  Normal  church  in  a  similar  enterprise. 
Throughout  such  development,  Mr.  Gilliland's  heart  was 
big  enough  for  us  all.  He  was  our  bishop  beloved,  not  of 
ecclesiastical  appointment,  but  the  common  choice  of  our 
hearts.  From  his  great  paper  of  Sunday  night,  I  take  this 
fine  sentiment  spoken  to  all  four  congregations  in  union 
meeting  assembled : 

"You  have  one  end,  you  have  one  Christ,  you 
have  one  cause,  you  are  one  people,  you  are  breth- 
ren, and  sisters,  in  Christ  Jesus.  Keep  the  unity 
of  the  spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace,  and  God  will 
bless  and  prosper  you  all.  This  is  my  prayer  for 
you." 

Throughout  all  these  years,  besides  leading  in  these 
building  enterprises,  Mr.  Gilliland  was  a  busy  pastor  and 
a  most  acceptable  preacher.  He  officiated  at  many  hundreds 


38 

of  weddings  and  funerals,  he  preached  thousands  of  ser- 
mons, and  received  into  the  churches  of  which  he  was  pastor 
about  twenty-five  hundred  people.  The  high  standard  he 
maintained  is  little  short  of  marvelous.  He  undertook 
nothing  that  he  did  not  do  well.  He  never  preached  a 
weak  or  illy-prepared  sermon.  He  was  ever  a  workman 
who  needed  not  to  be  ashamed. 

HIS  STRONG   MENTALITY. 

Mr.  Gilliland  possessed  a  strong  mentality.  He  was 
ever  a  vigorous  thinker,  logical,  and  analytical.  He  was  a 
prodigious  reader.  He  subscribed  for  and  read  a  long  list 
of  the  leading  periodicals  of  his  own  and  other  communions, 
besides  publications  of  a  literary,  scientific,  and  philosophi- 
cal nature.  He  kept  abreast  of  the  times.  His  paper  of 
a  week  ago  indicates  how  widely  he  read,  how  modern  his 
viewpoint,  yet  withal  how  practical  his  ideas  of  Christian 
work.  His  magnificent  library  was  a  delight  to  all  his 
book-loving  friends.  Like  their  owner,  the  books  that  went 
on  those  shelves  were  solid,  substantial,  worth  while.  I 
knew  somewhat  Mr.  Gilliland's  love  for  books  and  in  a 
modest  way  was  one  with  him  in  some  appreciations  of 
literature.  The  day  he  was  stricken  I  saw  his  desk  just  as 
he  left  it  with  papers  piled  as  he  had  placed  them,  and 
yesterday  I  saw  the  treasured  volumes  standing  in  stately 
array.  The  pathos  of  it  all  moved  me  deeply. 

"Ah  his  hand  will  never  more, 
Turn  their  storied  pages  o'er, 
Never  more  his  lips  repeat, 
Songs  of  theirs  however  sweet, 
Let  the  lifeless  body  rest. 
He  is  gone  who  was  its  guest, 
Gone  as  travelers  haste  to  leave, 
An  inn,  nor  tarry  until  eve." 


39 


HIS  POWER  OF  HEART. 

But  J.  H.  Gilliland  was  strong  in  the  affections  as  well 
as  the  intellect.  Naturally  reserved,  at  times  almost  diffi- 
dent, a  chance  acquaintance  might  have  thought  him  cold, 
and  thus  misjudged  him.  His  heart  was  warm,  his  nature 
cordial.  All  that  was  needed  was  the  genial  atmosphere 
of  his  friends  or  better  still  his  home  circle.  There  he 
shone  at  his  best  socially.  There  he  was  hospitable,  social, 
radiant.  I  think  few  public  men  who  have  succeeded  so 
signally  as  J.  H.  Gilliland  have  been  with  their  families  as 
much  as  was  he.  He  disliked  to  spend  a  single  night  else- 
where and  never  did  save  when  it  was  necessary. 

He  loved  his  wife  and  daughter  with  all  passionate  de- 
votion of  his  strong  nature.  Beautiful  indeed,  was  this 
man's  family  life. 

A  MANIvY  MAN. 

J.  H.  Gilliland  was  a  manly  man.  He  detested  shams. 
He  abhorred  cant.  He  hated  hypocrisy.  He  never  atti- 
tudinized nor  strained  for  effect.  His  piety  was  robust  and 
full  blooded  but  never  ostentatious.  He  lived  close  to  God. 
In  prayer  at  time,  especially  upon  funeral  occasions,  he  car- 
ried the  congregation  to  the  very  heart  of  God  in  petitions 
of  childlike  simplicity  and  tenderness,  yet  majestic  in  senti- 
ment and  phraseology. 

Mr.  Gilliland  ever  stood  for  dignified  standards  in 
church  work.  He  loved  the  great  hymns  and  an  order  of 
worship  that  became  the  house  of  God.  He  seldom,  if  ever, 
had  time  for  the  light  or  trivial  in  Christian  work  and  yet 
he  was  not  without  humor  and  appreciated  real  wit. 

This  faithful  minister,  this  citizen,  this  manly  man, 
was  a  strong  personality  who  laid  his  impress  upon  our 
community  for  years  to  come.  Bloomington  is  better  be- 
cause he  lived  here,  our  institutions  are  stronger  because 
of  him,  thousands  of  lives  were  moulded  after  the  Christ 
by  and  through  the  ministry  of  James  H.  Gilliland. 


40 

We  are  poorer  because  he  is  taken  from  us,  but  we  are 
far  richer  because  he  lived. 

For  twenty-five  years  this  man  of  God  had  gone  into 
the  grief  stricken  homes  of  this  community  with  the  mes- 
sage of  Christian  hope  and  love;  now  he  lies  as  silent  and 
still  as  the  forms  over  which  he  so  often  spoke  words  of 
sympathy.  Throughout  all  these  years  the  wife  of  his 
youth  together  with  him  has  wept  with  and  for  us,  now  we 
weep  with  and  for  her,  and  for  the  daughter,  the  two 
brothers  and  the  aged  mother. 

The  voice  that  comforted  us  is  silent,  the  vigorous  per- 
sonality that  strengthened  us  stilled  but  the  truth  that  was 
spoken  and  lived  by  him  is  yet  mighty  to  heal,  potent  and 
all  sufficient. 

"We  lay  in  dust  life's  glory's  dead, 
And  from  the  ground  there  blossoms  red, 
Life  that  shall  endless  be." 


J.  H.  GILLILAND  AS  PREACHER  AND  PASTOR 

Milo  Atkinson  of  the  Centennial  Church 

If  the  words  of  the  living  are  heard  by  the  spirits  of 
the  dead,  I  fear  I  shall  offend  him  in  whose  honor  I  now 
would  speak.  For  to  J.  H.  Gilliland  words  of  praise  were 
distasteful  indeed.  Yet  I  cannot  justly  speak  or  him  ex- 
cept in  terms  of  highest  praise.  His  life  was  a  gem  of 
many  facets,  sparkling  all  with  the  beauty  of  Christliness. 

I  am  permitted  to  speak  of  J.  H.  Gilliland  as  Preacher 
and  Pastor.  In  speaking  thus  of  men  we  sometimes  throw 
one  part  of  the  ministry  into  contrast  with  the  other  to  the 
detriment  of  one  or  the  other.  Indeed  most  men  can  gain 
prominence  in  one  field  of  endeavor  only  at  the  expense  and 
sacrifice  of  the  other.  Few  men  attain  to  a  high  degree  of 
excellence  both  as  preacher  and  pastor.  J.  H.  Gilliland  was 
one  of  these  few. 

Had  his  pastoral  labors  been  less  fruitful  he  might 
easily  have  been  counted  a  great  pulpit  orator.  Less  force- 
ful in  the  pulpit,  he  would  have  had  renown  as  a  great 
pastor.  But  so  well  balanced  were  his  achievements  in 
these  two  fields  of  labor  neither  appears  conspicuous  above 
the  other.  His  ministry  was  not  a  desert  waste  with  here 
and  there  an  occasional  oasis  of  success  whose  verdure  was 
made  to  appear  all  the  more  luxurious  by  the  very  barren- 
ness of  its  surroundings.  Rather  was  it  a  fertile  field  that 
brought  forth  abundantly  in  every  department  of  his  labors. 

No  greater  testimony  to  the  power  of  his  preaching  is 
needed  than  the  record  of  the  hundreds  of  men  and  women 
who  were  converted  during  his  special  meetings.  These 
achievements  are  the  more  remarkable  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  these  meetings  were  held  in  his  own  pulpit  with 
no  outside  help.  No  man  could  have  done  what  J.  H. 
Gilliland  did  in  this  respect  except  by  giving  himself  in 
most  constant  study  and  devotion  to  the  task.  And  such 


42 

were  his  habits.  The  careful,  painstaking,  scholarly,  and 
conscientious  preparation  of  that  great  address  which  was 
read  for  him  here  in  this  room  last  Sunday  night  before 
that  vast  audience  was  characteristic  of  all  his  life  work. 
He  never  appeared  before  an  audience  of  any  character 
whatever  without  having  made  the  most  careful  prepara- 
tion possible. 

His  scrupulous  methods  of  thought  and  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  all  great  living  themes  would  have  given  him 
a  place  among  the  critics  if  he  had  asked  for  such  a  place. 
But  his  was  a  nobler  ambition.  To  use  his  own  fine  phrase, 
"The  preacher  may  well  visit  the  critic's  school,  but  his 
place  of  residence  must  be  at  the  interpreter's  house."  His 
task  was  to  make  plain  to  others  the  great  life-lessons  he 
himself  had  learned. 

Some  said  that  J.  H.  Gilliland  was  conservative.  I  have 
heard  others  say  he  was  liberal.  Such  classification  be- 
longs only  to  little  souls  who  grasp  but  fragments  of  truth. 
His  great  mind  in  its  masterly  sweep  of  truth;  his  great 
heart  in  its  Christly  measure  of  love,  refused  to  be  classi- 
fied thus  as  ordinary  men  are  classified.  His  sermons  were 
liberal  without  disloyalty;  direct  without  dogmatism; 
scholarly  without  pedantry;  spiritual  without  mysticism, 
and  withal  so  musical  with  the  wooings  of  Divine  love  that 
hundreds  were  won  to  Christ  by  his  pulpit  powers. 

As  pastor,  how  rich  were  the  fruits  of  his  labors! 
J.  H.  Gilliland  was  not  one  of  those  "house-going  preach- 
ers" whose  hurrying  days  are  made  up  of  a  ceaseless  round 
of  door-bell-ringing  and  meaningless  visitations.  He  was  a 
shepherd  to  the  flock.  He  had  heard  the  Good  Shepherd's 
loving  injunction,  "Tend  my  sheep." 

How  many  of  you  here  today  were  baptized  by  his 
hands!  How  many  of  you  were  met  at  the  marriage  altar 
by  this  man  of  God.  How  often  did  he  come  to  you  when 
sorrow  sat  with  crushing  weight  upon  your  hearts,  and  in 


43 

his  coming  bring  to  you  the  comforts  of  Divine  love.  His 
were  the  lips  that  spoke  to  you  of  heavenly  consolation. 
Your  sorrows  were  his  sorrows,  your  burdens  his  burdens. 
In  your  joys  no  one  rejoiced  with  more  unselfish  delight 
than  did  he.  All  this  and  a  thousand  times  more  he  has 
been  to  you  in  the  years  gone  by. 

And  no  wonder.  His  were  high  ideals,  his  a  noble  aspi- 
ration. He  labored  with  the  feeling  that  the  ministry  is  no 
mere  profession,  but  the  "transcendent  calling."  He  spoke 
of  the  ministry  as  "a  God-revealing,  Christ-uplifting,  Bible- 
interpreting,  man-saving,  truth-seeking,  world-redeeming 
calling."  To  quote  further,  "The  ministry  is  the  cham- 
pion of  the  needy,  the  advocate  of  the  poor,  the  protector 
of  the  helpless,  the  apostle  of  every  good  cause.  Honored 
with  the  presence  of  God  and  his  power,  clothed  with  the 
authority  of  Jesus  and  the  truth,  directed  by  the  principles 
of  faith,  love  and  sacrifice,  the  ministry  is  the  supreme  call- 
ing among  men.  This  calling  may  eliminate  the  possibility 
of  a  successful  professional  or  business  career;  it  usually 
means  no  home  for  wife  and  children,  a  struggle  with 
poverty  amidst  many  friends,  yet  few  vital  and  sympathetic 
friendships,  and  often  an  isolated  and  forgotten  old  age; 
however  the  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master,  and  notwith- 
standing the  sacrifices  the  rewards  are  abundant  and  satis- 
fying. To  win  men  for  Christ,  to  fashion  Christian  char- 
acter, is  the  rarest  privilege  accorded  to  mortals.  A 
preacher's  converts  are  his  crown  and  joy.  To  be  permitted 
the  vision  divine,  to  have  fellowship  with  the  unseen  verities 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  build  for  the  eternal  years, 
amply  fulfill  the  promise  of  Jesus  to  the  faithful  servant." 

How  well  he  fulfiled  these  ideas  in  his  own  ministry  is 
strikingy  manifest  by  the  large  number  here  today,  and  by 
the  larger  number  who  have  gone  out  from  here  in  other 
days;  a  great  host  of  men  and  women  in  this  city  and 
those  who  have  gone  on  to  the  Eternal  City, — whose  lives 


44 

have  been  enriched,  unspeakably  enriched,  by  the  touch  of 
his  pastoral  labors. 

That  comfort  he  so  often  brought  to  us  in  other  days 
is  doubly  sweet  to  us  today.  For  as  the  dark  gate  swings 
outward  and  we  look  upon  this  mystery  we  call  Death, 
Faith  speaks  to  us  of  the  other  side  of  that  portal,  illumined 
by  a  radiance  more  glorious  than  the  mind  of  man  can 
dream;  of  life  whose  beauty  is  given  by  Him  who  is  the 
"fairest  of  ten-thouand,  and  the  one  altogether  lovely." 


FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH,  NORMAL 


This  beautiful  building  which  was  under  process  of  erection  at  the  time  of  J.  H.  Gilli- 
land's  death,  and  of  which  the  corner  stone  was  laid  Sunday  afternoon.  May  5th,  just  one 
week  after  his  funeral  services,  will  stand,  together  with  the  three  churches  in  Bloomington 
as  a  splendid  monument  to  his  masterful  ministry. 


IIBRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JAMES  H.  GILLILAND  AS  A  MAN 

Stephen  H.  Zendt  of  the  Second  Church 

First  impressions  are  not  infallible,  but  are  frequently 
worthy  of  recall.  The  first  impressions  of  James  H.  Gilli- 
land  may  be  thus  expressed : 

Here  is  a  preacher,  single  and  sincere  in  purpose,  tal- 
ented, intense  and  withal  successful.  Here  is  a  man  no 
less  a  man  because  a  preacher — a  man  among  men.  During 
twenty-one  years  of  acquaintance  no  valid  reasons  for  re- 
vising this  first  impression  have  appeared. 

In  all  vocations  there  is  room  and  preferment  for  genu- 
ine manhood.  In  times  of  war  "The  man  behind  the  gun" 
is  the  all  important  personage.  In  the  arts  and  times  of 
peace  the  man  behind  the  workman's  bench,  the  teacher's 
stand,  the  lawyer's  bar,  the  judge's  seat,  the  statesman's 
forum,  the  president's  chair,  is  more  than  the  insignia  of 
office,  whether  is  be  high  or  low. 

J.  H.  Gilliland  possessed  qualities  that  would  have  made 
him  a  leader  in  any  of  the  world's  occupations.  He  might 
have  been  a  captain  of  industry  or  a  master  of  finance  had 
his  conscience  given  consent.  He  did  excel  in  that  highest 
of  all  vocations  the  ministry  of  "The  Timeless  Word  of 
God." 

"The  world  has  room  for  the  manly  man  with  the 
spirit  of  manly  cheer. 

The  manly  man  is  the  country's  need  and  the  moments 
need  forsooth. 

With  a  heart  that  beats  to  the  pulsing  tread  of  the  lilied 
leagues  of  truth. 

The  world  delights  in  the  manly  man  and  the  weak  and 
evil  flee, 

When  the  manly  man  goes  forth  to  hold  his  own  on 
land  or  sea." 


46 

Nowhere  are  virile  qualities  more  indispensable  and 
potent  than  in  the  ministry.  A  facetious  cynic  has  declared 
"The  human  race  is  composed  of  men,  women  and  clergy- 
men." On  bill  boards,  in  cartoons  and  yellow  journals  the 
preacher  is  pilloried  as  a  weakling.  The  impression  and 
expression  that  he  who  enters  or  remains  in  the  ministry 
is  something  less  than  a  man  are  not  uncommon.  All  such 
vapid  innuendos  receive  their  just  and  most  effective  re- 
pulse and  rebuke  in  the  life  and  work  of  such  a  man  as 
James  H.  Gilliland. 

He  who  would  reach  men  must  himself  be  manly.  Said 
the  keen,  consistent  Phillips  Brooks,  "No  manly  man  can 
be  content  with  a  mere  ex-offkio  estimate  of  his  character." 
Why  may  not  the  herald  of  Good  Tidings  declare  "I  dare 
do  all  that  may  become  a  man,  Who  dares  do  more  is  none." 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  type  of  minister  to  which 
there  just  now  seems  a  need  to  revert.  He  was  an  example 
worthy  of  emulation. 

The  elements  of  ministerial  manhood  are  not  necessarily 
numerous  or  complex.  The  Prophets  were  men  among 
their  fellows.  Jesus  was  a  man  among  men.  Paul  the 
apostle  and  the  other  apostles  were  cast  in  ample  virile 
mould.  "Their  temper  was  heroic,  their  sympathies  all 
embracing,  their  spirits  God-like." 

Among  the  wisest  of  the  maxims  from  Hesoid,  the  old 
Greek,  is  his  classification  of  men.  "Some  men  think  for 
themselves,  others  have  someone  else  think  for  them,  while 
the  rest  neither  think  for  themselves  nor  allow  any  one 
else  to  think  for  them." 

J.  H.  Gilliland  was  a  man  of  his  own  mind.  He  thought 
for  himself.  By  so  doing  he  thought  for  others.  The 
original  mind  such  as  his  could  not  pause  to  adjust  itself  to 
all  the  whims,  crotchety  carpings  and  prejudices  to  which 
the  thinker  is  certain  to  run  counter.  He  coveted  not  the 
fickle  popularity  which  is  the  portion  of  him  who  "Fawns 


47 

for  power  by  doctrines  fashioned  to  the  varying  hour." 
"The  man  of  independent  mind  he  looks  and  laughs  at  a' 
that." 

The  manly  man  has  the  courage  to  express  and  abide 
by  his  convictions.  They  may  run  counter  to  the  designs  of 
evil  men  in  places  low  or  high.  He  trims  not  his  message 
to  fit  the  prevailing  customs — commercial,  social,  civic  or 
religious.  In  these  days  of  insistent  clamour  for  "smooth 
things"  the  need  of  the  crisis  is  fearless  manhood's  plain 
truth  to  manhood.  He  has  the  courage  also  to  proclaim 
his  soul's  message  tho  it  wound  the  hearts  of  his  friends. 
Thus  did  J.  H.  Gilliland.  He  appealed  to  the  better  judg- 
ment of  people's  better  selves  and  expected  them  to  follow 
the  higher  gleam. 

But  more  vital  than  having  and  declaring  convictions  is 
the  finer  art  of  living  them.  Mental  and  moral  honesty 
alike  insist  upon  this  last.  To  have  the  boldness  of  the 
righteous,  the  manly  man  must  keep  on  speaking  terms  with 
his  conscience.  By  no  other  policy  can  he  retain  his  self 
respect  or  the  respect  of  others.  On  the  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary of  his  ordination  the  friends  of  the  sainted  Richard 
Salter  Storrs  presented  him  a  loving  cup  bearing  this  ap- 
propriate inscription:  "The  Sermon  is  the  reflection  of 
the  Soul.  As  is  the  man  so  is  his  utterance."  As  J.  H. 
Gilliland  preached  even  so  did  he  live  and  so  did  he  pass 
within  the  vail." 

"His  life  was  gentle  and  the  elements  so  mixed  in  him 
that  Nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to  all  the  world,  'This 


J.  H.  GILLILAND'S  SERVICE  TO  THE 
BROTHERHOOD 

J.  Fred  Jones,  Field  Secretary  of  the  Illinois  Christian  Missionary  Society 

My  acquaintance  with  Brother  Gilliland  began  while  he 
was  minister  of  the  Harristown  church.  He  was  at  the 
same  time  a  member  of  the  old  Sunday  School  Association 
under  which  I  served  in  company  with  the  beloved  Knox 
P.  Taylor  of  this  city. 

In  1896,  when  I  was  called  to  serve  our  state  society 
as  its  secretary,  he  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  board 
of  directors,  and  for  a  time  was  its  chairman.  Three  sep- 
arate times  he  was  honored  with  the  presidency  of  the 
society. 

This  association  with  the  good  Doctor  gave  me  abun- 
dant opportunity  to  know  him  and  note  his  strong  place 
and  influence  with  our  people.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
the  dean  of  our  ministry,  if  I  may  so  state  it,  and  this  came 
to  him  naturally,  out  of  the  loyalty  and  love  of  the  men 
themselves.  Our  young  men  believed  in  him  most  thor- 
oughly, both  as  a  man  and  a  great  preacher ,  and  his  frank, 
manly  spirit  kept  their  trust  in  him  clear  and  strong.  Also, 
his  pronouncements  were  mighty  in  shaping  the  spirit  and 
molding  the  thought  of  us  all. 

He  would  never  deliver  a  special  address,  though  often 
pressed  to  do  so,  unless  he  believed  such  a  word  from  him 
would  serve  a  pressing  purpose;  but  when  that  conviction 
was  upon  him,  he  would  prepare  thoroughly  for  it  as  he 
always  did,  and  say  the  word  that  never  failed  to  strengthen 
the  cause  he  so  much  believed  in  and  loved.  Knowing  that 
he  always  brought  the  beaten  oil  of  the  sanctuary,  we  list- 
tened  with  profound  respect,  and  even  reverence,  and 
gathered  the  inspiration  of  the  spirit  that  moved  him. 

More  than  any  other  one  man,  perhaps,  he  helped  us  to 
keep  the  balance  of  an  even  movement  within  the  ranks. 


49 

In  the  day  when  there  reigned  what  many  thought  to  be 
a  spirit  of  uncertainty,  and  which  disturbed  the  souls  of 
good  and  earnest  men,  it  was  his  manly  bearing  and  certain 
word  of  brotherly  counsel  that  assured  all  hearts. 

His  going  is  an  irreparable  loss  to  his  brethren  and 
their  cause,  and  to  all  Christian  interests.  The  whole 
brotherhood  mourns  today,  while  the  weeping  skies  are 
emblematic  of  their  sorrow. 

He  was  not  only  honored  and  respected;  he  was  loved. 
And  there  is  no  better  evidence  of  it  than  the  habit  his 
brethren  had  of  affectionately  calling  him  "Jimmie,"  though 
never  in  his  presence,  and  who  could  wish  for  a  better  testi- 
mony than  that. 

However,  we  shall  not  grieve  too  much  over  our  sense 
of  loss,  for  it  comforts  us  to  know  he  has  left  a  rich  in- 
heritance of  manly  life  and  service  that  enlarges  and  in- 
spires all  hearts,  and  he  is  still  alive  a  thousand-fold  in  the 
lives  of  his  fellows  who  knew  and  loved  him  and  now  re- 
vere his  memory.  Blessed  also,  are  those  who  loved  him 
most,  for  he  has  left  to  them  a  memory  sweeter  than  the 
perfume  with  which  Mary  honored  her  Lord. 

For  myself,  I  shall  ever  be  grateful  for  the  rich  and 
royal  friendship  he  gave  me,  and  I  am  deeply  glad  that  I 
had  so  expressed  myself  to  him  while  he  was  yet  with  us. 

"His  name  liveth  ever  more."    . 


RESOLUTIONS   OF   MINISTERIAL   ASSOCIATION 

Read  by  Rev.  M.  N.  English, 
Pastor  of  the  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Whereas,  it  has  pleased  our  Heavenly  Father  in  His 
wise  Providence,  to  take  out  of  our  midst  our  brother  and 
co-worker,  the  Reverend  James  H.  Gilliland,  and  to  call  to 
rest  from  his  labors; 

Be  it  resolved,  by  the  McLean  County  Ministerial  As- 
sociation that  we  hereby  tender  to  his  bereaved  wife  and 
daughter,  his  mother  and  brothers,  other  relatives  and  many 
friends,  our  most  sincere  sympathy. 

In  his  removal  to  a  higher  sphere  we  have  lost  one  who 
labored  to  the  end,  in  the  work  to  which  God  called  him, 
with  unusual  success  and  with  Christian  love  and  courtesy 
to  all. 

Not  only  have  those  of  his  own  communion  suffered  a 
loss  but  the  entire  community  is  poorer  by  his  call  to  rest. 

He  built  for  himself  monuments,  not  only  in  brick  and 
stone,  but  of  Christian  souls  who  were  led  to  the  service 
of  Christ  through  his  labors. 

"He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do  follow 
him." 

By  order  of  the  McLean  County  Ministerial  Associa- 
tion. 

WM.  BAKER 
W.  A.  BODKIN 
M.  N.  ENGLISH 

Committee. 


The  quartette  sang  as  closing  hymn  "Abide  With  Me" 
and  for  more  than  an  hour  the  sorrowing  throng  pressed 
slowly  and  steadily  through  the  vestibule  at  the  main  en- 
trance to  look  for  the  last  time  on  the  well-known  face.  It 
was  nearly  six  o'clock  when  the  last  prayer  was  offered  at 
the  grave  side.  In  the  meanwhile  the  rain  had  ceased  and 
through  rifts  in  the  clouds  the  sun  was  struggling  to  shine, 
beautiful  prophecy  of  the  afterglow  of  a  life  singularly 
devoted  to  God  and  fruitful  exceedingly  in  Christian  min- 
istration. 


IN  MEMORIAM 

The  members  of  the  First,  Second  and  Centennial 
Christian  Churches  of  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  the  First 
Christian  Church  of  Normal,  Illinois,  deploring  the  un- 
timely and  sudden  death  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Gilliland,  under 
whose  pastorate  all  of  these  churches  erected  new  houses 
of  worship,  desire  to  make  known  their  estimate  of  his 
Christian  character  and  great  work. 

Rev.  J.  H.  Gilliland  was  a  man  among  men,  who,  not- 
withstanding his  attainments,  was  modest  and  retiring  to 
a  degree  that  reminded  one  of  the  promise  in  the  sermon 
on  the  mount,  "Blessed  are  the  meek  for  they  shall  inherit 
the  earth." 

He  was  scholarly  to  a  high  degree,  a  constant  reader 
of  the  best  literature,  never  failing  to  preach  Jesus  and 
His  Gospel  with  great  power  and  forcefulness,  always  car- 
rying his  hearers  to  some  definite  point  or  useful  lesson. 

Of  his  great  concern  for  the  salvation  of  all  the  people 
and  the  winning  of  souls  for  Christ,  his  success  in  the  many 
revival  services  which  he  conducted  bear  ample  testimony, 
as  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  of  his  converts  have 
united  with  the  Bloomington  churches  alone.  He  loved 
the  church  and  was  among  the  first  of  her  counselors,  for 
all  that  was  noble,  wise  and  just.  To  such  a  mind  at  his, 
heaven  with  its  wider  knowledge  and  clearer  vision  must 
be  a  state  of  unspeakable  glory  and  delight. 

For  twenty-five  years,  in  succession,  he  served  these 
four  churches  as  their  minister,  with  such  energy,  zeal  and 
foresight;  singleness  of  purpose;  and  eminent  success,  as 
would  be  an  honor  to  any  man. 

To  his  bereaved  wife,  daughter  and  mother,  and  to  all 
other  members  of  his  family,  we  extend  our  profoundest 
sympathy  in  this  loss  which  we  all  feel  as  a  personal  be- 
reavement. 


53 

As  congregations  we  sincerely  and  in  much  sorrow 
mourn  his  death,  realizing  that  he  has  finished  his  work 
in  the  middle  of  the  day,  being  suddenly  called  home.  To 
the  brethren  here  and  everywhere  we  commend  his  noble 
example  and  indomitable  spirit.  He  was  a  tireless  worker 
in  the  vineyard  of  the  Master.  A  complete  review  of  his 
life  work  would  be  impossible  at  this  time  but  may  be 
summed  up  in  the  familiar  declaration  of  St.  Paul :  He 
has  fought  the  good  fight,  he  has  finished  the  course,  he  has 
kept  the  faith ;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  him  a  crown 
of  righteousness  which  the  L,ord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall 
give  him  that  day,  and  not  to  him  only,  but  to  all  them 
also  that  love  his  appearing. 

GEO.  D.  SITHERWOOD,  First  Christian  Church. 
T.  T.  HOI/TON,  Second  Christian  Church. 
HARVEY  HART,  Centennial  Christian  Church. 
IRA  C.  SIMPSON,  First  Christian  Church,  Normal. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

289  2G41T  C001 

TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  RELIGIOUS  LIFE  IN  B 


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